Month: June 2018

What summer doldrums? There was no slowing of the tech news cycle this week, with Apple releasing the iOS 12 public beta (read: Memoji!) and tech companies weighing in on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Trump travel ban.

What summer doldrums? There was no slowing of the tech news cycle this week, with Apple releasing the iOS 12 public beta (read: Memoji!) and tech companies weighing in on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Trump travel ban.

A little spring cleaning led to an unexpected discovery. Under an old couch I ran across something I hadn’t seen in years, an old black polycarbonate 13-inch MacBook. Originally released in 2006 and discontinued in 2011, these plastic laptops were incredibly popular in their day, starting at $999 for the white model and $1,199 for the black model.

A little spring cleaning led to an unexpected discovery. Under an old couch I ran across something I hadn’t seen in years, an old black polycarbonate 13-inch MacBook. Originally released in 2006 and discontinued in 2011, these plastic laptops were incredibly popular in their day, starting at $999 for the white model and $1,199 for the black model. These were also among the earliest MacBooks to switch to Intel processors from the PowerPC architecture, helping make Macs truly mainstream.

This particular MacBook was purchased by my wife sometime around 2007 at Apple’s flagship Soho store (which was the first Apple store in NYC when it opened in 2002). It served her well, despite getting a little beat up in the process, and was eventually retired sometime around 2010, after which I lost track of it.

The MacBook surfaced occasionally after that, usually getting moved from one closet or storage bin to another without being turned on. At some point five-plus years ago, I must have brought it into the office (I think we were all comparing retro tech we had lying around at home), where it ended up under a sofa.

Having run across it for the first time in years, covered with dust, I decided to see if it would even turn on. Opening the lid, the keys and touchpad showed signs of wear and heavy use, an issue with plastic products like this. There was a large crack in the polycarbonate body along the left side, leaving a piece of plastic hanging loose from the chassis.

Just a few minutes of searching around the CNET Labs turned up an old school MagSafe MacBook charger. I closed the lid, plugged the power cable into the magnetic power connection on the side of the laptop, and was pleased to see a green light on the connector after a few seconds.

You can see it boot up successfully in this raw video shot on my phone, below.

Now Playing:Watch this: Resurrecting an old-school black MacBook
2:18

Opening the lid, I was pleasantly surprised to see the screen come to life. It sat on a light gray for a few minutes, then added the familiar circular “boot-up” animation, eventually resolving to a retro OS X home screen.

The MacBook advised me that it couldn’t find any of its normal Wi-Fi networks (understandable), and that the system date was set to sometime before 2008, which could have adverse effects. Looking at the date, it had reset itself to December 31, 2000.

The battery was completely shot, the system didn’t even see it, which is understandable considering how long it had been sitting dormant. Fortunately, this is one of the few MacBooks with a removable battery, so I may be able to dig up an aftermarket replacement. That means it has to remain tethered to power to stay on, at least for now.

If you want to read the original 2006 polycarbonate Macbook review (yes, I wrote it), it’s here and says:

These 13.3-inch notebooks, available in the standard Apple colors of black and white, are nearly as powerful as their 15- and 17-inch Pro cousins, and they include a lot of the same features, such as the built-in iSight camera and Front Row remote … The MacBook is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to step up to an Apple laptop or upgrade their older MacBook.

It was also interesting to look back at the old review and see the following: “In our battery tests, we got an impressive 3 hours, 30 minutes out of the MacBook–beating the 15-inch MacBook Pro by half an hour.” When we tested the latest 12-inch MacBook from 2017, battery life was over 10 hours.

Now, with only an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and a mere 1GB of RAM, this is not going to end up back in my regular laptop rotation. It’s also incapable of upgrading to recent versions of the operating system, now called MacOS, and Apple even officially relegated the classic MacBook to “obsolete” (or “vintage”) status in 2017.

But: I was able to connect it to Wi-Fi, the touchpad and keyboard still work fine and I was able to do some basic (if slow) web surfing, all within minutes of booting it up.

Not too shabby for a laptop that’s been fighting dust bunnies for almost a decade.

When smartwatches became a thing, everyone kept talking about how it was bringing the ‘Dick Tracy’ capability of talking to your wrist – but that didn’t actually materialize.

With the launch of the Walkie-Talkie app within watchOS 5 though, Apple brought a childhood dream of many to life: being able to chat with a buddy just by talking on the wrist.

When smartwatches became a thing, everyone kept talking about how it was bringing the ‘Dick Tracy’ capability of talking to your wrist – but that didn’t actually materialize.

With the launch of the Walkie-Talkie app within watchOS 5 though, Apple brought a childhood dream of many to life: being able to chat with a buddy just by talking on the wrist.

There was a key question we were left with though: how hard will it actually be to use? How will you stop being interrupted all day long?

The Walkie-Talkie is pretty simple: you’ll get a list of of cards, with all the Apple Watch owners you’ve spoke to recently at the top (or the option to add more with a tap of the ‘plus’ icon underneath).

Above the cards is the ‘Available’ slider – tap this to the off position and people won’t be able to contact you at all (the same if you’ve got the Do Not Disturb option turned on too).

Tapping the person you want to chat to will move you to a screen packing the yellow circle emblazoned with ‘Talk’ – and you’ll know what to do then.

At this point, the other big question hovered into view: would owning an Apple Watch suddenly mean anyone you knew with a similar device could start shouting out of your wrist?

After all, at the advent of the Apple Watch who didn’t endure a number of rude digital sketches being sent to their wrist from their supposed friends?

The good news for those that work in sensitive offices is that you’ll need to accept the conversation. The person beginning the chat will press Talk, and speak into their Watch – and on the other end, the intended subject will hear a couple of beeps and feel a haptic buzz.

If they want to chat, a tap will play the message. Covering the Watch with your hand will stop the message from blaring out loud – but otherwise you’re going to hear the vocal missive from your pal.

While the first message hangs in the ether until it’s played, from then on the chat is the true walkie-talkie experience you’d be looking for: instantaneous chats from wrist to wrist in pretty high-quality audio. Saying ‘over’ at the end of each statement is optional.

Wrist chatter

The chats are either sent over Wi-Fi, cellular data (if you’ve got an LTE-enabled Watch) or if you’re connected to your phone, you’ll piggyback on the phone’s connection to get the chats to your Watch.

Once finished, the connection will hang open for around five to six minutes, at which point it’ll terminate. It seems there’s no way to end it manually though, so if you’re chatting away and your boss walks in you’ll need to quickly set yourself to ‘unavailable’ or snap on the Do Not Disturb option, lest she or he hear your chum waxing lyrical their latest trip to the bathroom.

Is it worth the price of a new Apple Watch to just have the chance to chat aimlessly to a friend, when you can just, you know, phone them? Well, such is the nostalgic thrill… kind of.

They’re the giants of the web, one dominating search, the other king of the online shop. But when it comes to the race to rule the smart speaker space, the Amazon Echo and Google Home are pretty evenly matched.

They’re the giants of the web, one dominating search, the other king of the online shop. But when it comes to the race to rule the smart speaker space, the Amazon Echo and Google Home are pretty evenly matched.

The voice controlled audio devices promise to take the strain off your everyday life – need to set a time? Just ask the Google Assistant. Want to play your favorite spring cleaning playlist without lifting a finger? Your wish is Amazon Alexa’s command. Both voice-activated digital butlers can carry out thousands of tasks, many similar, but with some key differences between the two product ranges that you’d be wise to be aware of.

So, it’s the future of speakers – but which is for you? Amazon Echo, or Google Home? And, which specific model suits your needs? We put them head-to-head.

Amazon Echo: the different models compared

Let’s kick off with the smart speaker that started it all – the Amazon Echo. Its vanilla version is likely where you’ll want to begin – it stands 14.8cm tall and sounds pretty damn good for its price, supporting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, with the signature blue-ring around its top that tells you when it’s listening after hearing its default wake word, “Alexa”.

The Amazon Echo Dot

Perhaps the most popular Echo of all though is the Echo Dot – it’s the cheapest of the entire bunch and is about the same size as a hockey puck. Its size means its speaker is quite tinny and weak, so it’s better suited for rooms where music playback won’t be its primary function – but you can pair it up with a Bluetooth speaker or another audio device using an AUX jack connection, which makes it perhaps the most cost-effective upgrade you could make to an aging Hi-Fi system.

Amazon’s Echo Plus

The Echo Plus has a more industrial look, standing taller than the vanilla Echo with exposed speaker grilling, and it doubles up as a smart home hub for connected devices, too, justifying its extra premium in price.

The Amazon Echo Show

The Spot and the Show are the two Amazon Echo devices to feature a screen. You can think of the Echo Spot as an upgraded Echo Dot – perfect for a bedside table, with the ability to make video calls through its circular screen. The Echo Show is essentially an Amazon Fire tablet with an Alexa speaker strapped to the bottom, letting you ask about shows available on Amazon’s services and partner apps (including the likes of BBC News), making it like a second screen for your kitchen.

Amazon’s Echo Spot

All have access to the majority of Alexa skills (think voice controlled apps) available, though only the Plus can double up as a bridge for your smart home devices – while all Echo products can talk to things like smart bulbs and thermostats, it’s only the Plus that lets you do away with individual hubs for each additional gadget family.

Google’s smart speaker range is a touch smaller than Amazon’s, with just the three Google Home speakers to choose from. At this stage, none feature screens either (though these are in the works, both in house and with third-party manufacturers looking to work with Google Assistant), so it’s a pure audio experience with Google at this time.

The Google Home Mini

The smallest of the three is the Google Home Mini speaker. It, like the Echo Dot, is puck shaped (if a little more pebble-like with its softer edges), with its top side covered in a fabric speaker mesh. It’s available in a range of colors, with four flashing LED lights used to illustrate when it’s listening to your commands.

The Google Home

At the middle of the range is the standard Google Home, which looks considerably different. It looks a little like a small vase, with a two-tone color design (again with multiple options to choose from) and a sloping top side that houses a touch control panel.

The Google Home Max

The Google Home Max looks much more like a traditional loudspeaker, and is the largest of the bunch. It’s boxy in design, and closer aesthetically to the Google Home Mini with its mesh speaker covering. It can stand in either a portrait or landscape orientation to suit the needs of your decor.

While the vanilla Google Home is an acquired taste in terms of design, both the Mini and Max are subtly attractive, and should fit into any surroundings without much concern.

To find out more about each version of the Google Home, check out the full reviews below:

Keep in mind that, with both Alexa and Google Assistant, third-party speaker manufacturers are increasingly choosing to integrate the voice helpers into their products. So if there’s an audio manufacturer that you’re particularly fond of, it may be worth holding out to see if they’ve any plans to join either of the smart ecosystems – at this point, it’s highly likely that most all audio devices in the near future will come equipped with some sort of microphone and voice control system.

Smart features

The smart features of the Google Home and Amazon Echo lines are broadly similar – speak to them, and you’ll be able to do anything from playing back music, have general knowledge questions answered, controlling smart home gear and setting alarms and timers. And that just scratches the surface.

Both Google and Amazon are committed, long term, to improving their respective voice platforms, and each has done a good job so far of enticing third-party smart device manufacturers – from thermostat makers to smart lighting companies – to make their products compatible with each service. With a base level of commands available to each, with either a “Hey Google”, or “Alexa…” wake word uttered, control of the digital world is just a vibration of your vocal chords away.

But the two take a slightly different approach to the way their abilities are accessed. Google Home’s abilities are, by default, accessible to all – barring pairing up third-party smart home devices with your Google Home system, if you’ve made a request that the Google ecosystem can understand, it’ll carry out the required response unprompted. Alexa, on the other hand, relies on the installation of Skills – individual, app-like sets of related voice commands focussing on certain topics or abilities. Handled and activated through the Alexa app on smartphones, these can range from getting information on local transport times, or even to activating voice-controlled games.

There’s no right or wrong approach – Google’s is simpler, while Alexa’s encourages faster and broader development and support from third-parties.

Audio

As you’d expect from such a wildly varying range of shapes and sizes, you get very different sound performance across both ecosystems, let alone when comparing competing models. Here’s a general breakdown of how they sound in relation to each other:

If you can only afford the entry-level devices, and music remains a top priority for you. Go for the Google Home Mini, which sounds a lot better than the Echo Dot. Unless you hook up a Dot to another speaker over Bluetooth or the 3.5mm jack, it’s just too thin and harsh to fully enjoy.

If you’re looking for a small Echo speaker, your best best then is the Echo Spot, which despite its size offers a richer sound. The screen, however, massively increases its expense.

When you’re moving up the size scale, Google’s Home is too bass-heavy to be truly enjoyable. It also has worse clarity than the latest generation of Echo speaker and Echo Plus. So if you’re limited to around $100/£100, the Amazon Echo may be the best choice.

With a slight premium in price, and the inclusion of Dolby processing, the Echo Plus sound is more dynamic than the standard Echo, as you’d hope.

And, despite its looks, the Echo Show sounds better than the Echo Plus and Echo, though not so dramatically as to forgive it some of its other failings.

If you’re going for pure sonic superiority between the Echo and Google Home ranges however, opt for the Google Max. Its bass is well tuned, its mids and highs well defined, and its top volume levels loud without verging into highly distorted territory.

Price

There’s such a range of prices across the two speaker platforms that, in fairness, there’s something for every wallet size. It’s more about what you’re expecting to get from your smart speaker of choice. Amazon, offering the widest spread of options, hits both the most affordable and expensive price points between the two brands, with the Echo Dot at the lower end and the screen-packing Echo Show at the top. Google sits somewhere in the middle. Compare the latest pricing between the ranges below.

Verdict

There’s no easy answer to the question of whether you should buy Amazon Echo or Google Home products. Both lines are very accomplished and, so long as you temper your expectations in line with the amount of money you’re going to spend on buying into one of the lines, all sound good enough for their price points.

The choice really then comes down to the preference of ecosystem as opposed to the hardware. Are you heavily invested in Google’s services? Then Google Home is probably for you, as the two areas are only going to become ever-more-closely linked. Google’s natural language understanding is superior too, even if its voice implementation still needs some refinement.

However, in terms of sheer value for money and the already vast reach of its collaborations and abilities, Amazon’s Alexa devices seem the more sensible bet at this stage. It’s a close run race, with Google’s powerful search capabilities potentially seeing it through in the long run. But there’s something to be said for Amazon’s more focussed approach – from our experience so far, Alexa currently feels like the more reliable assistant. But that could change. Either way, place your bets – you’re unlikely to come away disappointed.

Match Group, which owns Tinder and recently purchased Hinge, said images and swipes sent between Tinder’s app and servers are now encrypted, which means that hackers will have a much harder time spying on your love life.

“We take the security and privacy of our users seriously and employ a network of tools and systems to protect the integrity of our platform, including encryption,” Jared Sine, Match Group’s general counsel, said in the letter.

If you’re not familiar with Tinder, it’s a dating app that more than 50 million people use to find others, swiping left to reject profiles and right to accept a potential date based on photos.

The fixes address two security flaws that researchers from Checkmarx, a cybersecurity company, discovered in January. The researchers found that the pictures stored on Tinder’s servers were using an insecure and outdated HTTP connection, which meant that any hacker on the same Wi-Fi network could view it, and potentially even replace them without people knowing.

Another vulnerability allowed hackers to view who you’re swiping left and right on. Even though that data was encrypted, each response had a different file size — so it was easy to tell which actions were likes, dislikes or super likes.

Match Group said it’s fixed this by making all swipe data the same size. The change took effect on June 19. It’s unclear why it had taken almost five months for Tinder to fix the issue since the company was notified in January. Match Group did not respond to a request for comment.

The HTTP issue was fixed much sooner, with Tinder photos switching to full encryption by February 6.

“These common-sense security fixes would provide Tinder users with the level of security and privacy they expect from a service that holds some of their most private information,” Wyden wrote in his letter.

Everyone needs a phone, but not everyone wants to sign anything resembling a carrier contract to get one. Maybe you’d rather pay only for the service you absolutely need while avoiding extra fees or maybe you just don’t want to submit to a credit check.

Everyone needs a phone, but not everyone wants to sign anything resembling a carrier contract to get one. Maybe you’d rather pay only for the service you absolutely need while avoiding extra fees or maybe you just don’t want to submit to a credit check.

Whatever your reason, a prepaid plan can be a brilliant option. When I lived in London for three years, I used a T-Mobile prepaid plan during the weeks when I returned home for visits. It let me keep my longtime US number and I wasn’t paying for service I didn’t use when I was in England. (My UK carrier, Three, gave me free data roaming in the US, but that came with its own set of complications.)

Like with postpaid carrier plans, sorting through the maze or prepaid options isn’t easy, especially as you jump between the sometimes-made-to-be-confusing websites of several carriers. Better to see the various plans in one place, which is what I’ve provided here.

For this comparison, I’ve stuck to the “Big 4” US carriers plus the major prepaid-only carriers that piggyback off a larger operator’s network. Since all prepaid plans listed here have unlimited calls and messaging in the US, the main differentiator between them is how much data you get each month and how fast that data will be. Of course, your choice of available phones will vary, as well, but I’ll leave that decision up to you. CNET has a wonderful section of phone reviews to get you started. Just remember that for prepaid plans, you’ll have to pay the full cost of a handset up front.

Now Playing:Watch this: Best tips for buying a new phone
2:55

A few other things before you get to the numbers:

As you might expect on a prepaid plan, your service will end if you don’t pay for a month ahead of time.
For all of the below data plans that have a cap, you’ll encounter significantly slower speeds for the rest of the billing period once you hit that limit. Carriers call it “data prioritization,” though it’s akin to throttling. You won’t completely lose data service nor will you be subject to hefty overage fees.
Like with postpaid plans, the most demanding prepaid users also will find that their speeds are “data prioritized” once they use a certain amount of gigabytes per month. Most carriers will start stepping on the hose at 22GB or 23GB, but T-Mobile lets you use 50GB each month before it steps in.
Unless otherwise noted, promised speeds for included data allowances are up to 4G LTE. What speed that actually translates to in the real world will depend on your location and how much demand there is from other users at a given time.
In the “Select additional Features” column, I’ve excluded options (like Wi-Fi calling) that are standard for each carrier, regardless of which plan you choose. I’ve also excluded features that require extra fees.MetroPCS, Cricket and Boost include taxes and fees in the monthly plan price. For other carriers, you may be subject to additional charges depending on your location.
For nearly all plans listed below, carriers regularly offer discounts and temporary specials to lure new customers. Check what’s available before you sign up.
If you find that a prepaid is still too much for your needs, AT&T and T-Mobile also offer pay-as-you-go plans where you pay $3 per day for unlimited calls and messaging. Data is not included, but it’s a fine choice if you need a phone only for emergencies.

* Monthly discount if you enroll in auto-pay.

When you have family (and friends)

Most prepaid plans will let you add up to five additional lines of service to a single account, typically with the extra lines costing less the more you add. Extra lines are ideal for families that want multiple phones without getting several bills.

That said, navigating your way through the price structures can be baffling. Some plans list the price by line while others list the total price by number of lines (pricing structures can vary even within a single carrier). So, to keep things as comparable as possible, all plans in the next chart are listed by the price per line. If a carrier only has the total price on its website, I estimated the cost per line based on how much a single line would normally cost.

One more thing to note: T-Mobile handles multiple lines for prepaid customers differently than other carriers. Rather than letting you add lines to one of the plans listed above, it has a separate prepaid family plan for up to five lines. The date allowance for each line is 10GB including mobile hotspot use.

* Monthly discount if you enroll in auto-pay.
** Pricing for extra lines on this plan is listed on the carrier’s website by the total number of lines.

Originally, the Apple iPad was a single one-size-fits-all device, beyond a few storage size options. Then came colors and screen sizes, and Mini, Air and Pro variants. Today, the line has thinned back down a bit to the iPad and iPad Pro, plus an older Mini holdover — but that doesn’t make it much easier to choose which model is right for you.

Originally, the Apple iPad was a single one-size-fits-all device, beyond a few storage size options. Then came colors and screen sizes, and Mini, Air and Pro variants. Today, the line has thinned back down a bit to the iPad and iPad Pro, plus an older Mini holdover — but that doesn’t make it much easier to choose which model is right for you.

The newest “sixth-generation” iPad, unveiled in March, is affordable, and comes with a speed boost and support for Apple’s excellent pressure-sensitive Pencil stylus. But there are also iPad Pro models, with larger screens, which are over a year old. Also, the smaller iPad Mini, which is even older. Should you even get a cellular iPad at all? And what about storage options? Are you already getting a headache?

Unlike last year, Apple didn’t unveil new iPad Pro models at its June developer conference. This means, most likely, that iPad Pros won’t be here until the fall. If you want the best, perhaps just keep waiting.

But if you just want a good basic tablet? The 2018 iPad (just called “iPad”) is fine. Go for it. And, if you’re really desperate for an iPad Pro, they still have some distinct advantages.

First off: Know that more iPads are coming… someday

The 9.7-inch 2018 iPad is the first shoe dropping in this year’s iPad release schedule from Apple. Presumably, there will be upgraded iPad Pros, too, coming later this year. Expectations for these 2018 iPad Pro models are that they will have Face ID instead of Touch ID, and maybe more screen space in a smaller body — as well as the usual faster CPUs.

Last year, these iPad Pro models were unveiled at Apple’s Apple’s WWDC developer conference. This year, that didn’t happen. The next most likely unveiling would be alongside new iPhones ($800 at Cricket Wireless) in September — or possibly later.

Are they worth waiting for? If you’re spending a lot for one, maybe.

Just want a basic, good iPad now? Get the 2018 9.7-inch, you’ll be fine

There’s no better iPad value right now than the new 9.7-inch model, and that won’t change in a month. The A10 processor is speedy, the battery life is great (12 hours plus), and sure, it’s the same sturdy design and feel as iPads from years past. The Pencil support is a great added bonus if you or your family dreams of creating art in any way: It’s the best art tool I’ve seen on a tablet. The display is still really good, but lacking a few extras that the Pros offer, which you’ll probably never really notice if you’re not a display obsessive.

Now Playing:Watch this: The great iPad debate
6:37
How about the 2017 9.7-inch model?

Last year’s low-cost fifth-gen iPad, also called “iPad,” is worth getting if you see it on sale for $250 or less. It doesn’t work with Apple’s nice pressure-sensitive Pencil stylus, but It’s extremely similar to this year’s budget iPad in most other ways, with a slightly slower processor. It’s perfect for everyday streaming, reading and tablet-y things.

What’s different about the current Pro models? And why should you care?

Even at a year old, last year’s iPad Pros (still the most current Pros) are technically the best, fastest, highest-quality iPads around. Now that Pencil support has come to the entry-level iPad, the Pro tablets do lose one of their key discerning features. That leads me to think the next wave of Pros will get something else even better (wild guess: better modular keyboard attachments and docks?).

I think the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is the best iPad — if money is no object. The 12.9-inch version has an even bigger screen and similar speed, but it feels too big and expensive for my tastes. Artists might prefer its extra canvas size. The distinct advantages to the Pro models, both of them, are below, and they’ll definitely matter to serious iPad users:

The Pro’s display has color tone adjustment (True Tone), a wider color gamut, and an up-to-120Hz display that’s smoother scrolling and has benefits for Pencil precision. The display’s more seamlessly connected to the glass, too, which helps for fine stylus work. (They’re mostly subtle differences.)
Better quad speakers and stereo sound, versus the tinnier entry-level iPad’s speakers.
The A10X processor is faster.
Battery life tested better by a few hours.
The cameras are improved (and they shoot 4K video, unlike the entry-level iPad).
A side Smart Connector allows things like Apple’s Smart Keyboard Cover to attach without needing Bluetooth or separate charging.

But they’re also considerably more expensive. The 2018 iPad maxes at $429 for 128GB of storage, while the Pro models start at $649 and $799 (with 64GB of storage), and ramp up to a crazy $999/$1,149 for 512GB of storage. And that’s not even including a cellular antenna for optional LTE (an extra $130 on top of that), or the Pencil stylus ($99), or the Apple Smart Keyboard Cover ($159, but there are plenty of cheaper keyboard options).

Cellular? I’d skip it, unless you crave it

No doubt, using LTE on a tablet is great. I wouldn’t pay $130 for the opportunity to pay an extra monthly fee for it. Instead, you can easily tether your phone for free. Pros might consider it if someone else is footing the bill, or if this is your main connected device. Up to you.

iPad Mini? Skip it, too

The iPad Mini 4 is somehow still being sold despite being nearly three years old. That’s fine, but it’s not getting any discounts on Apple.com: It’s $399 for 128GB of storage. That is plenty of space, but its A8 processor is getting long in the tooth, and wasn’t even that zippy when I first reviewed it. Pass on this unless you see it on sale, or are desperate for a small-size iOS reading tablet no matter what.

For kids: Also consider a Fire tablet (or Chromebook)

The iPad’s a great family choice, and a pretty nice gift for kids. But it’s still really expensive. Amazon‘s Fire tablets are ridiculously affordable, and perfectly good for reading, watching movies, playing games, and doing plenty of things — the Fire HD 8, in particular. They’re not as good as iPads, especially not for things like writing or creating art, but you can get a Fire tablet for as low as $35. Kid-optimized versions cost a bit more. And at least Amazon has pretty robust parental controls for kid accounts, more so even than Apple.

In our review of the latest Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, we pointed out that it comes with a one-year subscription of Free Time Unlimited, “a Netflix-like subscription service chock full of kid-appropriate e-books, videos and games.” After one year, it’s $3 a month, but offers a lot of kid-friendly content.

Chromebooks aren’t the same thing as tablets, but at $300 or less they’re a great choice for kids looking to use a laptop at home (and some, like the Asus Chromebook Flip, can transform into tablet-like devices just fine).

Disclaimer: CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.

Want a better deal? Look beyond the Apple Store

There are almost always decent iPad sales afoot. For instance: at Costco, the 2018 32GB iPad is being sold with the Pencil stylus for $355, which is a nice deal on Pencil. Best Buy is offering the iPad, no Pencil, for $30 off. Meanwhile, Apple will always sell at MSRP. (That said, Apple does offer an education discount of $20 for the 9.7-inch iPad and $10 off Pencil.)

TL;DR

For most people looking for a basic iPad: get the 2018 9.7-inch model.

Best kid iPad? If iOS compatibility is a must-have, get the 2018 9.7-inch model (or the 2017 model on sale). Otherwise, opt for the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition (for younger kids) or a Chromebook (for older kids).

Best iPad at any price? The 10.5 iPad Pro (I prefer Wi-Fi only and 64GB of storage, for the price).

What about iOS 12? Most likely starting in the fall, you’ll be able to update any current iPad to iOS 12, which includes features like 32-person FaceTime calls and animated Memoji avatars — but it won’t substantially change your tablet experience.

It still feels like until new iPad Pros emerge, this is an unfinished story. But, that’s how the iPad in 2018 is shaking out so far.

Almost four years after announcing its third smartwatch, Sony has shown no intention of releasing a new Wear OS watch and instead has opted to focus its mobile business with new iterations of its phones and hearable products like the Xperia Ear Duo.

Almost four years after announcing its third smartwatch, Sony has shown no intention of releasing a new Wear OS watch and instead has opted to focus its mobile business with new iterations of its phones and hearable products like the Xperia Ear Duo.

The Sony Smartwatch 3 from 2014 was for a long time one of the best smartwatches on the market sporting an attractive design, built-in GPS, waterproofing, NFC and Wi-Fi capabilities.

Most of this tech is now commonplace on smartwatches, but in 2014 this was groundbreaking stuff.

So why hasn’t Sony updated its smartwatch since then, especially when it was critically so well received? Will we ever see a Sony Smartwatch 4? We’ve put together everything we know down below, followed by some features we’d love to see if the company does make another smartwatch.

Cut to the chaseWhat is it? A new smartwatch from SonyWhen is it out? Possibly neverWhat will it cost? Upwards of $299/£210/AU$420 – if it ever launchesWill there ever be a Smartwatch 4?

The answer is: possibly, but not yet. Sony told TechRadar back in March 2017 that its wearable ambitions have been put on hold.

Kaz Tajima, senior vice president of creative design and product planning at Sony Mobile, told TechRadar, “There’s still not a sufficient solution for the end user from a technological point of view. With the watch you have to charge it every day, which is unnatural for a watch.

“Until we find a good, technological solution – or a form factor solution – to make these things feel natural to wear, we’ll keep looking at [the wearables sector].”

Those points haven’t stopped other manufacturers from pushing ahead in the smartwatch space, but it’s clear Sony is taking a long break from the tech until it deems the tech proficient enough to jump back into.

There’s clearly support for Sony’s wearable devices too. For example, in 2017 there was a petition from 4,000 Sony Smartwatch 3 fans that tried to encourage Sony to update the watch to Android Wear 2.0. The company ultimately didn’t see fit to support it though.

That’s a shame for anyone who owns a Sony Smartwatch 3 or wanted a new device from the company, but right now the firm seems to be focusing on hearables like the Xperia Ear Duo or the concept device released the year before that.

If we ever see the Sony Smartwatch 4, it may be a long time coming. Don’t give up all hope of a new wearable from Sony, but there are currently no leaks or rumors so we would expect the quotes above from Tajima to still stand for how Sony feels about smartwatches.

Sony Smartwatch 4: what we want to see

Originally we wrote a list of some features we’d like to have seen on the watch back in 2015 soon after reviewing the Smartwatch 4.

Those aren’t as relevant in the 2018 smartwatch market, but we’ve put together a few of the old ones with some new ideas that we’d like to see the company include if
Sony ever decides to make a new smartwatch.

A gym and office-friendly design

The Sony Smartwatch 3 was a slick looking wearable for its time, but most would agree that it was crafted more with the sporty type in mind.

Sure, owners with a little more cash could splurge on the stainless steel strap but that made have made the cost also shoot up. Other companies have achieved a design that works for sport and fashion such as the Apple Watch 3, so we’d like to see Sony do the same thing here.

More accurate and efficient GPS

During our testing of the Smartwatch 3, we loved leaving our phones behind and taking advantage of its built-in GPS. But, on the flipside of this cool feature are a few serious downsides: the sensor’s accuracy and its impact on the wearable’s battery.

We originally found that the distance tracked with GPS tended to differ quite a bit with what our phones would report, sometimes to the point that we didn’t know which one to believe.

Hopefully, the Smartwatch 4 would receive the hardware improvements necessary to ensure a more accurate tracking experience. Considering it’s now four years later and GPS is better on a lot of smartwatches, we expect Sony could do this.

Google Pay support

Not every smartwatch has NFC or Google Pay support, but most top-end devices now have the tech inside and we’d love to see it come to a future Sony watch.

It’s a bit disappointment now when high-end smartwatches don’t come with the tech built-in, so hopefully Sony will see fit to include the tech if it ever makes another smartwatch.

An awesome-r battery

The 420mAh battery packed inside the Smartwatch 3 is more juice than you’ll find in a lot of other smartwatches. In addition to having a higher battery capacity than its competitors, it could also last longer than most of the competition at the time. It would run for up to two days, depending on how you used it.

That said, battery life is getting much better on smartwatches now so we’d hope to see Sony improve that if it makes a next-gen device.

More sensors

The built-in GPS, gyroscope, and accelerometer on the Smartwatch 3 allowed for fairly in-depth tracking, but we’d love to see Sony push even more sensors inside the Smartwatch 4.

Noticeably lacking was an optical heart rate sensor and altimeter, which can track your heart rate, and your altitude, respectively. This would give it the complete set of abilities we’re looking for from today’s smartwatches – let’s hope Sony takes note.

Go cellular

A Wear OS device with Wi-Fi capabilities is like a bird with unclipped wings that’s still locked in a cage. Adding cellular access to the Smartwatch 4 will allow it to operate over a cellular signal while untethered from your smartphone.

Plus, it might not be practical, or even necessary for some users, but we’ll always take more features over fewer if it improves the smartwatch experience.

It’s hip to be a square

Some might feel differently, but we think the Smartwatch 4 should hang onto the square design. Come on. It’s rather charming, don’t you think?

OK… it’s a little tough to defend the form factor, especially when many other gorgeous Wear OS watches come with circular displays but a square design would allow Sony’s next watch to look unique.